Peppermint – Fragrance from Menthe, the Beautiful Goddess

Peppermint or mint, usually grows on wetland beside the
river in the mountain, above 2100 meters above sea level. Sometime it can be found in places 3500 meters
above sea level. It has high economic value due to its aroma.

Mint is one of the common herbs used Chinese traditional
medicine. It has a detox function and effective in curing influenza, headache,
red eyes, fever, throat, gum swelling and even muscle pain. It also can be
applied externally neuralgia, pruritus, rashes and eczema.

Mint is widely grown in temperate zones of the northern
hemisphere, and is distributed throughout China. There are many mint plantation areas
throughout China, of which Jiangsu and Anhui have the oldest and largest
plantation estates but the production have been dwindling. There are also other countries in tropical
Asia, Russia, Far East, Korea, Japan and North America (South Mexico) which
have commercial plantation of mint.

Mint has strong adaptability to environmental conditions. It
usually grows on wet soil beside water 2100 meters below sea level. There are some rare cases, it is found at
places 3500 meters above sea level as well.

Peppermint is not only provide great taste and aroma for
food, it also has high medical value in Chinese traditional medicine and in
western conventional medicine as well.

Juice is can be extracted from stems and leaves or just eat
them raw. It is a very refreshing flavoring agent in wine, tea and so on. It is also a great spice on variety of food.

Every 100 grams of dried mint contains 9.6 grams of water,
6.8 grams of protein and 31.1 grams of fiber, which can provide 870.7 calories.

Mint contains menthol, which can freshen breath and few
other medical properties. It can relieve
abdominal pain, gallbladder problems, such as spasm, but also has antiseptic,
bactericidal, diuretic, expectorant, stomach and digestive function.

There are some precautions we need to be aware.

Taking Mint in large amounts can lead to
insomnia, but small doses of sleep can help sleep.

Those who perspire a lot should avoid mint.

Women should avoid using mint during pregnancy.

Breastfeeding women should not be used as it
affects the milk production

The Myth about Mint

King Hades fell in love with the beautiful goddess Menthe. The Queen Persephone found out and very felt
hurt and jealous. In order to make Hades forget about Menthe, Persephone cast a
spell on Menthe and made her a humble grass at road side for others to step
on. But the more it is being stepped by,
the more fragrant it is. Although she
has become a humble grass, she was being loved by more and more people. She had also become grass of hope for all
common people. The humble grass also has
been used to cure many diseases.